The Donkey Show: Disco Meets Shakespeare at the Adrienne Arsht Center

In Miami when you tell people that you are going to see The Donkey Show you get plenty of strange looks and some raised eyebrows.

“You’re going to see what? What kind of show is that? Where do they even do that here? Isn’t that illegal cause of the animals?”

These are some of the questions people will ask. I promise you.

I am here to tell people to get their minds out of some gutter in Tijuana (I am sorry, I just involuntarily shuddered.) and get over to the Adrienne Arsht Center in Midtown.

(I am sorry for those of you that were expecting THAT kind of donkey show…I really am.)

This kind of Donkey Show is actually full of campy fun, disco and…wait for it…Shakespeare.

Oh, and there are no actual donkeys in the show at all. Not one.

I know, I know…you are having a WTF moment of epic proportions right now, but bear with me.

The Donkey Show is actually an interactive musical that was first shown off-Broadway in 1999 and was created byDiane Paulus and her husband Randy Weiner. Since then it has toured the world and is now in Miami, where it promises those who love the night life and love to boogie a night full of fun. It is based on Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and is set to all the disco hits of the 70′s in a club called Oberon (A shout-out to the fairy king in Shakespeare’s play, actually.)

Oh, and they serve booze.

Disco and adult beverages and dancing? I was sold. I headed to this show last Friday with our photographer Denise Diaz and what transpired was revelry of the best kind.

The fun started in line where we were greeted, nay, HIT ON by two of the show’s characters, Vinnie and Vinnie (played by Carolina Pozo and Leah Verier-Dunn). Dressed in polyester suits and sporting huge afros, they came and asked us for a dance later. They might of even adjusted their crotches before striking disco poses and hip thrusting at us.

They were very Vinnie Barbarino meets Quagmire.

From that point on, we were ushered into Club Oberon where the disco was pumping and the dance floor was a mix of actors and regular folks, mingling, dancing and chatting. People who came to watch the show were encouraged to wear their finest disco outfits and they did! All night long we kept bumping into regular folks in the wildest outfits. We danced with them. We laughed with them. Unless they were sitting in the “VIP” tables surrounding the dance floor. Then, we didn’t interact with them or even chat with them.

You know…much like VIP people at clubs in real life.

Because apparently you can buy tickets for either the dance floor (DO THAT!) or for the tables that surround the dance floor (DON’T DO THAT!). We recommend that you buy the floor tickets (They are cheaper!) and wear your dancing shoes. It is so much more fun as the whole show happens on the dance floor where you’ll be dancing with your friends. Throughout the night, you will be prompted to make way while the actors dance, sing and chase each other throughout the club. It’s so much better than just watching from the sidelines.

Unless you are the kind of person who goes to a club to sit and watch people having a good time. Then by all means, please sit down and make way for those of use who want to dance.

DO buy many drinks if you are the kind of person who needs to stretch, and by stretch, I mean get a little bit saucy, so you can properly boogie. DON’T buy the over-priced nitrous cocktails they serve. All they do is smoke and melt and give you a headache. That advice comes from experience. Spend your money on the regular stuff which does the job just fine.

The Donkey Show‘s storyline was fun to keep up with as it was full of things that most of us can relate to; love, love lost, betrayal, chasing love, never-ending love and…drugs. (It does take place in the 70′s, after all.) Oh, and some implied bestiality and dancing. I won’t give it all away, but I will say that there were nice surprises at the end and that the actors do a great job of keeping the crowd entertained and engaged.

The show is two-hours long and then there is a dance party afterwards where you can disco with the actors and chat. We stayed and participated in a Soul-Train dance line. It was kind of awesome.

I do recommend this show for anyone who loves disco, likes to dance and have a good time. I do not recommend this show for people who are shy, introverted, have bad hips, can’t dance and do not like disco and/or polyester.

It is also located across the street from The DRB, in case you find yourself very, very thirsty pre or post show. Mmm…beer. And for those of you that still want to boogie afterwards, it is within walking distance (two blocks) of The Vagabond.

It is definitely a great show for people who like to party in groups or people looking to impress their dates with their dance moves.

Or you parents who are looking to relive their cocaine days at Studio 54.

No judgements.

Check out the pics below and then score some tickets. You will love it…we promise.